Underwood is American Idol

A tearful Underwood choked out a brief “thank you”, then sang. She reprised Inside Your Heaven, which both she and Bice performed in Tuesday’s final round. The judges thought Bice outsang her; the voting audience obviously disagreed.

Backstage, Underwood savoured her victory and what could follow.

“This is the best night of my life. And it’s going to get better,” she said.

The singer added that she’s ready for the pressures of a music career and won’t disappoint her fans: Country music is where she intends to make her name.

“That’s where my heart is. I feel like that’s the music that’s the most pure. And the people, the artists, are so nice. … Those are the people I want to be among,” she said.

Bice said he was satisfied with the outcome and the experience.

“It doesn’t get any better,” he said. He had entered the Idol contest on a bet with his mother, expecting only that the exposure might get him better gigs back home.

“We can look forward to an album coming out soon, so keep your eyes open,” he said.

Underwood, a 22-year-old college senior, became the talk of her hometown of Checotah – and the choice of fourth-season Idol voters – as she delivered almost uniformly consistent performances each week.

“She has more of the star quality,” said Cindy Monteleone of Chicago, who was among hundreds of people who dropped by the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood to watch former American Idol contestants arrive for the show’s taping.

Underwood couldn’t compete with rock ’n’ roller Bice on his style of music (“I’m not sure I’m loving the rocked-out Carrie,” judge Randy Jackson said after one attempt) but shone in her favourite genre, country.

Friends and family describe Underwood as a polite, quiet, small-town girl who is dedicated to music.

“I hope this doesn’t change her,” said Underwood’s mother, Carole Underwood.

Bice, 29, of Helena, Alabama, would have been the oldest Idol winner. He brought an unexpected rock edge to the show’s usually mainstream pop style, shining on songs such as the 1970s hit Vehicle.

“He’s just so sincere and he projects that,” said fan Donna Leoni.

The live two-hour finale was padded by clips from throughout the season, interviews with the judges and the finalists, and concert and product plugs (the finalists received gift cars, which were featured in a big-screen video close-up).

There were also, finally, songs. A series of duets featuring the top 12 finishers and guest artists included Anthony Fedorov and Anwar Robinson performing with Kenny G; Scott Savol and Nico Smith with George Benson; and Vonzell Solomon with Billy Preston.

Although on-stage performances were unaffected by it, an offstage drama also played out during the season when former contestant Corey Clark claimed he had an affair with judge Paula Abdul while competing in 2003 and that she coached him on how to do better on the show. Abdul has called the allegations “lies” and an attempt at character assassination.

In a bit of hard-edged comedy Wednesday, Idol fired back at ABC News’ recent Primetime Live episode detailing Clark’s claims. TV newsman Steve Edwards presented a satirical report titled “Bad Judgment” that purported to reveal judge Simon Cowell’s “secret relationship”. (The punch line: It was the self-centred Cowell’s love affair with himself).

“We won’t let the truth get in the way of our ratings,” the faux report said in an obvious dig at ABC.

American Idol thrives on controversy, with disgruntled fans complaining over the years about overloaded phone lines, technical glitches and untalented contestants with amazing survival skills.

Viewership didn’t suffer from Clark’s claims: American Idol is the No. 1 series for the season in viewers (as opposed to households), averaging 27.3 million viewers a week.